Speaking About Procrastination

I’ve done hundreds of either keynotes or workshops on procrastination and motivation, ranging from professional associations (e.g., Accountants, Architects, Arbitrators, Librarians, Human Rights Experts, Home Builders, Real Estates Construction, Performance Improvement Experts…) to companies including Chevron, Prairie Merchant and Prudential. Here’s a sample of some speaking engagements on my YouTube Channel, but that last one for actually helped win Titanium Lion award at the Cannes Creativity Festival. Check it out:

Testimonials ( I keep forgetting to ask for these)

“Humorous and accessible, Dr. Steel’s Procrastination Equation workshop made it easy to significantly improve productivity. If you want to get stuff done, get him.”Brett Wilson, a Celebrated Entrepreneur & Philanthropist

“Dr. Steel has a very informative, engaging and humorous approach to a topic that is of concern for today’s organizations (and to a broader extent, society as a whole). His approach is all-encompassing, combining historical facts with academic research into pragmatic strategies for increased productivity. Our 200 conference participants thoroughly enjoyed his interactive presentation and found it to be one of the highlights of the day.” J. Lukman, Director, Petroleum Accountants Society of Canada

Steel is also the author of the bestselling book, The Procrastination Equation, and has appeared in hundreds of media outlets around the world, including Psychology Today, New Scientist, Good Housekeeping, and The New Yorker.

For those who want more than a keynote, there is the….

Maximizing Motivation, Minimizing Procrastination (Workshop)

The program focuses on leading-edge, evidence-based techniques for maximizing motivation. The basic forces that determine when we are motivated and when we procrastinate are established, so why do we put off what we need to get done? Each participant is assessed in terms of their relative level of procrastination, and a more detailed diagnostic test will be administered that identifies the underlying reasons for procrastination, providing the foundation for change. Though customization is always an option, a recommended package includes:

Pre-commitment: Learning how to act now to stop ourselves from acting otherwise later.

Stimulus Control: Learing to maximize motivation by controlling environmental cues that direct us either to work or to play.

Wish Fulfilment: Fantasy and vision boards (e.g., from The Secret) actually damage motivation, making your dreams less likely to come true. A proven and effective alternative, mental contrasting, is taught in its place.

Energy Allocation: The number one reason for putting off what we need to get done is that we are too tired. Use your own chronobiology to identify your peak productive times.

Productive Procrastination: This turns the procrastination impulse against itself, making periods of procrastination productive.

Goal Setting: Many rely on SMART goals, based on an early 1980s article about team management. In the last three decades, we have a better system for crafting motivational goals, the CSI Approach.

At the end of each technique, we’ll take time to apply it to personal situations. Using everyday language, the workshop makes use of PowerPoint presentations, clicker polling, video clips, self-assessment quizzes, and in-class demonstrations. Some techniques are covered in the book The Procrastination Equation, but the content is not exclusive to it. Additional materials covered in class are provided by handouts or electronic PDFs.